12 Most Intriguing November Celebrations Around the World
I love November! When the world has not quite frozen over but autumn is definitely coming to a close. The leaves are slowly beginning to fall off the trees and Christmas decorations are starting to pop up in shop windows
And it’s also the season of Thanksgiving! What are you thankful for this year? Of course, that’s only celebrated in America so have you ever wondered what the rest of the world is up to in November?
I have! So, here are the most interesting November celebrations in the world.
12 November celebrations around the world
1. Movember!
Back in November 2003, two guys in Australia convinced 30 of their friends to grow out their moustaches to raise money for charity.
The following year, 500 Australians participated and raised over $50,000 for male prostate cancer.
Now, Movember is known all over the world and has raised money for many male health charities including prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health issues. To date, Movember has spread across 20 countries across the world, raised over $600 million for charities and almost 5 million men have participated!
It’s definitely one of the most fun holidays in November, with all sorts of moustaches popping up from big bushy ones to elaborate curly ones!
2. All Saint’s Day – Western Christian Churches, November 1st
In the year 835 AD in Ireland, the Roman Catholic Church made November 1st a national holiday to honour all the saints. They celebrated by having a bonfire and a huge feast.
The celebration was originally called All Hallows (hallow meaning Saint or holy person). And the feast would start the following evening, the Eve of All Hallows or Hallowe’en.
This is one of the oldest November celebrations around the world but actually turned into the most popular as it’s how modern-day Halloween was born.
3. Calan Gaeaf – Wales, November 1st
Every November 1st, the Welsh mark Calan Gaeaf, the first day of winter.
The night before is called Nos Calan Gaeaf and is the night when spirits roam free. To this day, people still avoid stiles, crossroads, churches and graveyards at this time, as the spirits are said to gather there.
On Calan Gaeaf, women and children dance around a bonfire and everyone would write their name on a rock and place it around the fire. It’s also a tradition to have a feast and bob for apples. During that feast, the unmarried woman would share out some porridge with a wedding ring hidden in the pot. The woman who finds the ring in her bowl is said to be the next to marry.
4. Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) – Mexico, November 1-2nd,
In Mexico and other parts of Central America, they celebrate their dead friends and relatives on the first two days of November.
Even though it seems rather morbid, the Day of the Dead is actually fun and colourful! People put on costumes and parade down the street with painted skulls – which they also decorate their houses with. They pay visits to the graves and leave flowers, food, and trinkets in remembrance. It’s more of a celebration of life than a celebration of death.
5. Guy Fawkes Night (Bonfire Night) – England – November 5th
Every English child growing up will know the saying ‘Remember, remember the 5th of November’. My mum used to say it to me when I was little!
Back in 1605, a group of conspiracies tried to assassinate the King of England and blow up the Houses of Parliament in London. They wanted to put a Catholic monarch on the throne. But in early November, Guy Fawkes, a soldier leading the conspiracy, was caught and the plot was discovered. He was burnt at the stake.
So, now, on November 5th every year, the English celebrate by burning figures of Guy Fawkes, lighting bonfires, and setting off fireworks.
6. Loi Krathong – Thailand, November 13th (2019),
Loi Krathong is a Siamese festival of light celebrated in Thailand and neighbouring countries that have Thai culture. One of the most beautiful November celebrations around the world, the name literally translates as ‘float a basket’.
People place candles on Krathongs (small floating vessels), to honour the goddess of the water. The kathrongs are released into rivers, ponds, lakes and even swimming pools in celebration of light, hope and good luck.
It is tradition for Loi Krathong to be celebrated on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the Thai Lunar calendar, therefore the exact date changes every year. It’s celebrated all over Thailand from the bustling city of Bangkok all the way to the tiny Thai islands. However, in Chiang Mai and other parts of northern Thailand, it’s celebrating by releasing lanterns into the air instead of the water.
7. Armistice Day (Remembrance Day, Veterans Day) – November 11th,
The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month signifies the signing of the Armistice (peace treaty) in November 1918. This marks the end of World War 1 and the day the guns of the front line finally fell silent after a horrific 4 years of constant war.
To this day, we pay our respects to fighters of the war and a two-minute silence is held when the clock strikes 11. This is actually one of the few holidays in November that’s celebrated around the world. Remembrance Day is celebrated in 12 different countries.
In the UK, special services are held at churches all across the country and wreaths are laid on memorials and graves in respect of what the fighters sacrificed for us.
It is also a tradition to buy and wear a poppy for Remembrance Day.
The bloodiest part of the battles was held in Flanders fields in Belgium. Everything was destroyed; buildings, roads, trees, and all-natural life disappeared and it became a mass grave for the soldiers. The only thing that survived was the poppy, that continues to flower each year to this day.
This is why the poppy has become a symbol for Armistice Day.
8. Saint Martin’s Day – Germany, November 11th,
This is a religious festival in Germany, celebrating Saint Martin of Tours. He was a Catholic bishop who stood for modesty and altruism – both values celebrated by the day.
Children hand-make their own paper lanterns in the run-up to Saint Martin’s Day. On the day itself, they have lantern processions in towns and cities all over Germany. After the parades, people gather around a bonfire and sing songs about the Saint.
The adults will then eat a ‘Weckmanner’, a German pastry shaped like a gingerbread man, and drink mulled wine. Many also celebrate the November holiday with a traditional roast goose or duck.
9. Shichi-Go-San – Japan, November 15th,
This November holiday celebrates the rite of passage for young children in Japan. Literally translating as ‘Seven Five Three’, it is for 3 and 7-year-old girls and 5-year-old boys.
The children dress in traditional kimonos and visit shrines with their parents. The shrine was said to drive out evil spirits and let them live a long and healthy life. The numbers are also consistent with East Asian numerology, which claims that odd numbers are lucky numbers.
In the past, people had lost their children due to poor health so, until the age of 7 for girls and 5 for boys, children were thought of as offspring of the Japanese Gods. But after Shichi Go San, the children have passed successfully into middle childhood.
They are also given a long red or white ‘Thousand Year Candy’ which is gift-wrapped with a picture of a turtle or crane to symbolise health and long life.
10. Bon Om Touk – Cambodia, November 15th
Every rainy season in Cambodia the Tonle Sap River floods its banks and starts flowing the other way. Bon Om Touk literally translates to ‘Khmer Water Festival’ and celebrates the river returning to normal.
One of the super fun November celebrations, the Cambodians have traditional boat racing and fireworks. They also spend time with family and loved ones on the banks of the river and have a day of general merriment. That is if the authorities haven’t cancelled the festivities, which they have been known to!
The river means a lot to the Cambodians as it provides fish for many fishermen and farmers and when the river deposits silt, it fertilizes their land which leads to a good harvest. Bon Om Touk has been celebrated for centuries as the river has brought them a lot to be thankful for.
11. Thanksgiving – USA, November 24th,
Possibly one of the most well-known November celebrations in the world, on the 24th of November Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. It started as a way to give sacrifice for the blessings of the harvests but is now a festival to give thanks for things that happened that year.
It’s celebrated with a traditional turkey dinner, which is similar to a Christmas dinner but with yams as the main and pumpkin pie for dessert. There’s also Macy’s famous Thanksgiving Day parade featuring floats and life-size balloons floating down New York City streets. Another similarity to Christmas, it’s also a day for family, with lots of Americans travelling across the country to be with loved ones on Thanksgiving.
Even though it’s one of the most popular and fun holidays in November in the USA, it’s not celebrated in many other places in the world. The only other places that celebrate Thanksgiving are Canada who celebrate it in October and some Caribbean islands.
12. St Andrews Day – Scotland, November 30th,
Every year, the Scots have their traditional November celebrations to remember the patron Saint of Scotland, Saint Andrew. They eat, drink, dance, and have parades down the streets of Edinburgh and many other cities in Scotland. They also usually have live music to celebrate.
Saint Andrew’s Day is also celebrated in other parts of the world as Saint Andrew was the Saint of Barbados and a few European countries too. In Romania, they believe the night before Saint Andrew’s Day should be spent eating garlic to ward off evil spirits!
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Great list! I had no idea most of these existed!
How cool! I had no idea that so many holidays were celebrated in the month of November. The releasing of the lanterns in the Thailand Celebration looks like it has to be absolutely stunning.
Wow so many different celebrations around the world! I’m only familiar with the Dia de los Muertos, as I am Mexican. My dad goes every year to Mexico for this holiday to celebrate and remember his late relatives. I hope to go some day and experience what this celebration is like.
I had no idea there were so many different celebrations in November. Being in the US, it’s really cool to learn about so many different cultures and how they come together this month.